Explosive terminal and method of firing



Oct. 20, 1959 J MQDREY 2,909,758

. EXPLOSIVE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF FIRING Filed Sept. 24, 1953 Jofde r coated,

INVENTOR.

HENRY J. MODREY WMMM M ATTORNEY 'EXPLOSIVE TERMINAL AND NETHOD OF FIRING 7 Henry J. Modrey, Stamford, Conn.

f Application September- 24,1953, Serial No. 382,083,"

15 Claims. 01. 339-220 The present invention relates to explosive electric wiring terminals fastened to or on a supportbase such as a panel and also .to terminals of the kind known as splicing link and used for connecting several wires. The in: vention further relates to a method of firing such ter ininals.

V The invention employs a concept entirely novel for electnc wiring terminals to secure a terminal to a sup- ,port and/or one or several Wires. It resides broadly in providing a hollow terminal containing an explosive charge which upon detonation causes an appreciable exfpansion or bulging of the terminal wall.

sion of the terminal and the heat generated by the ex- This j exp an plosion are used to attain several important and novel ;objects and advantages. v 1 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved wiring terminal that can be rapidly and securely fastened to a support base, even in locations which are difiicult of access thereby giving a be conveniently carried out under adverse conditions such as in arctic temperature. A terminal of this type is highly advantageous for military purposes.

" United States Patent C ,Another object of the invention is to provide a novel a and improved terminal the fastening of which to its support, such as a panel, can be carried out from one side of the panel only in contrast to conventional terminal designs which generally require accessibility of the terminal from both sides of the panel.

'Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved arrangement which permits simultaneously to fasten a terminal to its support and to 'one 'or several wires by one single operation thereby simplifying and speeding-up both mounting and wiring of the terminal.

A more specific object of the invention is to utilize the expansion of the terminal, as caused by the detonation of the explosive charge for fastening the terminal to its support.

Another more specific object of the invention is to use the expansion of the terminal for connecting one or several wires to the terminal. The terminal may be mounted on the support by the aforedescribed expansion of its-wall or by any conventional means suitable for the- 'to connect one or more wires to the terminal body.

-' will be evident, the utilization of the expansion of the terminal wall results in a solderless mounting and/ or .wiring of the terminal. This facilitates not only the mounting and wiring of the terminals in difficult locatrons as already mentioned, but also greatly simplifies the mounting and wiring operations under conditions under which it is difiicult to mount or wire a terminal by conventional methods and means. For instance, ..the splicing of telephone and powercables in the open can be rapidly and reliably performed Without toolsby merely heating the terminal body. An open flame such as that of a match may be sufficient for the purpose.

A further more specific object of the invention is th utilization of the heat generated as a by-product ofthe explosion for carrying out soldering operations simultaneously with the operations performed by the expansion of the terminal wall. Under certain conditions for instance in the open air, it is sometimes difficult to produce the necessary soldering temperature by conventional means. Experience has shown that the cumulative effect of the heat applied to the terminal for setting off the explosion and the heat generated by the explosion is generally fully adequate to supply the required soldering temperature.

In the accompanying drawing several now preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. t

In the drawing:

Fig. l is an isometric view of a terminal accordingto the invention designed for mounting in a panel and simultaneously anchoring a Wire conductor to the terminal'by a soldering operation.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the modification of the terminal according to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the terminal according to Fig. 2 assembled in a panel and ready for firing of the explosive charge.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a terminal assembled ina panel and equipped with means for fastening two connecting wires to the terminal by the detonating operation.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, isometric view of the terminal of Fig. 4 after the firing of the charge.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of still another modification of a terminal according to the invention.

Fig. 7 'is a side view of a terminal in the form of a splicing link for joining two wires, and

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the terminal according to Fig. 1 comprises a solid. forked lug portion 14 having a solder coated groove or recess 27. The terminal of Figs. 2 and 3 is similar to the terminal of Fig. 1, but has a shortened lug 26 formed with a solder coated transverse groove 27. The stripped end 28 of a-wire 29 is shown inserted in groove 27. The shank portion 3 of the terminal is formed with a preferably open axial bore 4 which contains a tiny explosive charge. Any explosive suitable for the purpose may be employed as the material or configuration of the explosive does not constitut e part of the present invention. It suffices to state that suitable explosives are well known to the expert. in the art. If necessary or desirable to facilitate the ignition of the charge, a primer or detonator may also be placed in the bore.

The shank 3 of the terminal is initially cylindrical or, in any event, of such configuration that it can be conveniently fitted in a hole of a panel 6. The depth of the insertion of the terminal may be limited by a collar 7.

When it is desired to set the terminal within the panel by setting 01f the charge, heat is applied to the lug portion of the terminal, preferably directly to collar .7,,by any suitable means such as a soldering iron 30, specifically designed for the purpose, an induction coil surrounding the terminal, a spot welder, or an open flame. Themeans for eifecting the detonation do not constie r tute part of this invention and any means suitable for the purpose conventional or non-conventional, may be employed.

As a result of the pressure generated by the explosion, -the walls of terminal portion 3 provided the same are of appropriate thickness and composition are strongly expanded, approximately into the barrel shape indicated in 2,9o9,75sa Fig. 3 in dotted lines, into a shape such that the terminal portion 3 is firmly set within the panel. By reason of the strong expansionof the terminal walls, it is not necessary to, maintain close tolerances between the diameter of the hole and the initial outer diameter of terminal portion 3. The aforementioned strong expansion also permits to use the same terminals for, widely different thicknesses of the panel thereby gre atly reducing the inventory requirements and reducing the costs of the terminals and the panels.

The panel of Fig. 3 is shown as an insulation panel 7 made, for instance, of plastic so that several terminals on the panel need not to be insulated one from another.

As is evident, there are available and suitable a great number of other forms and shapes of wiring studs or lugs. The illustrated designs are merely shown as repre-' sentative exemplifications of the invention.

The heat applied to the lug portion, for instance by soldering iron 30 will not only set off the explosive charge of the terminal but also effect soldering of wire end 28 within groove 27. It will be apparent that if the solder coating of groove 27 has not yet melted when the'explosion occurs, the cumulative effect of the heat of the soldering iron and the heat developed by the explosion will surely complete the soldering operation. Alternatively, a conventional soldering iron may be used both,

to apply solder to the groove and to set off the explosion. Figs. 4 and 5 show another exemplification of the invention in which three operations are performed by the single step of applying heat to the terminal. The lug portion '26 of the terminal according to Figs. 4 and 5 is and wire end 28 is soldered in groove 27 which is solder I" coated for this purpose as has been described in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The terminal according to Fig. 6 comprises a threaded shank 42 for insertion in a panel opening. The terminal is secured to the panel by tightening a nut 37. The lug part 38 of the terminal is provided with an axial bore which contains the explosive charge. To secure one or several wires, one wire 35 being shown, to lug 38 a retaining ring 39 is fitted upon the lug. This ring has a shape and size such that the stripped wire end 34 can be '1 conveniently fitted between the ring and the lug, for instance the ring may be oval or generally circular and provided with one or more ears. As is evident from the previous description, a detonation of the charge causing a strong radial expansion of lug 38 will tighten the wire in position thereby assuring a strong mechanical and high quality electric connection. To hold ring 39 in position before the expansion of the terminal lug, the latter is preferably provided with flanges38', 38". V l j The arrangement of Fig. 6 may also be used to secure wires to terminals according to Figs. 1 to '5. p I Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate how the principle of the invention may be generally employed for splicing two or more 'wires by means of a wiring terminal in form of a splice 'link. The means employed for this purpose are similar in principle to those shown in Figs. 4 to 6, 'A'retaining 'means in form of a ring'40 is fitted upon the preferably flanged hollow splicing link 41 in which the explosive charge is contained. The ring is shown as generally circular and provided with ears 40' for the insertion of the stripped wire ends 34. Of course, an oval or otherwise suitably shaped ring may also be used. It will be obvious that the detonation of the charge expands the link wall thereby tightening the wires.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric wiring terminal comprising an at least partly hollow terminal body, an explosive charge contained in said terminal body, and wire retaining means encompassing the hollow portion of said terminal body so as to provide space for the insertion of a wire to be connected to the terminal whereby the charge, upon explosion thereof, causes an expansion of the wall of the terminal body fixedly securing the wire between the terminal body and the retaining means.

2. An electric wiring terminal comprising a terminal body including a cavity, an explosive charge fitted in said cavity, wire retaining means encompassing the body portion including said cavity and providing space for the insertion of a wire to be connected to the terminal between the retaining means and the terminal body, the said terminal body further including an external recess for placing therein a second wire and soldering material whereby the said charge, upon explosion thereof by the application of heat to the terminal, causes an expansion of the wall of the terminal body securing the first'wire between the terminal and the retaining means and whereby the cumulative elfect of the heat applied to the ter- .minal and the heat generated by the explosion melts the solder material for soldering the second wire to the terminal body.

3. An electric wiring terminal for mounting on a-support baseby insertion in an opening thereof, comprising a lug portion having a recess for fitting therein a wire, soldering material for connecting the wire to the terminal by a soldering operation, a hollow shank portion insertable in the opening of the support, and an explosive charge contained in said hollow shank portion whereby the said charge, upon explosion thereof by application of heat to the terminal, causes an expansion of the wall of the shank portion fixedly securing the terminal in an opening of the support, and the cumulative effect of the heat applied to the terminal and the heat generated by the explosion melts the solder material for soldering the wire to the lug portion.

4. A terminal according to claim 3, wherein the said recess is in form of a transverse groove in the face end of said lug portion. 7 v

5. A terminal according to claim 3, wherein the said recess is coated with the soldering material.

6. A terminal according to claim 1, wherein the said retaining means comprise a ring member. r

, 7. A terminal according to claim 1, wherein the-said terminal body is provided with a mounting portion for attaching the terminal body to a support.

8. An electric wiring terminal for mounting on a support base by insertion in an opening thereof, comprisingv a lug portion for attachment of a conductor wire, a hollow shank portion insertable in the opening of the base and having a length in relation to the base so that. said shank portion protrudes from the base upon insertion 1 of the terminal, wire retaining means loosely fitted upon said protruding shank portion so as to provide space for the insertion of the wire conductor between said protruding shank portion and said retaining means, and an explosive charge contained in said hollow shank portion whereby said charge, upon explosion thereof, causes radial expansion of the shank wall fixedly securing the terminal in the base and anchoring the wire conductor between the shank wall and the retaining means.

9. A terminal according to claim 8, wherein the said shank portion is formed with a peripheral groove, and

wherein the said wire retaining means comprise a ring' member fitted in said groove.

10. A terminal according to claim 8, wherein said lug portion has in its face end a groove for fitting therein a second wire conductor and soldering material for securing the second wire by a soldering operation.

11. A terminal according to claim 10, wherein the said groove is solder coated.

12. The method of fixedly connecting a wire conductor to an electric wiring terminal, comprising the steps of providing a hollow terminal body filled with an explosive charge and retaining means encompassing the terminal body, then fitting the conductor to be connected between the body and the retaining means and thereupon applying heat to the terminal body sufiicient to set off said charge, the explosion of said charge causing an expansion of said terminal body whereby the inserted conductor end is tightly held between the terminal body and the retaining means encompassing the same.

13. The method of fixedly connecting several wire con-- ductors to an electric wiring terminal comprising the steps of fitting a first wire conductor to be connected between a hollow terminal body filled with an explosive charge and retaining means encompassing the terminal body, placing a second wire conductor in contact with the terminal body, applying solder material to the place of contact between the second conductor and the terminal body, and heating the terminal body sufiicient to set off said charge whereby the explosion causes an expansion of said terminal body securing the first conductor between the retaining means and the terminal body and the cumulative effect of the heat applied to the terminal body and the heat generated by the explosion causes soldering of the second conductor to the terminal body.

14. The method of securing an electric wiring terminal to a support base and connecting a wire conductor to the terminal, comprising the steps of inserting in an opening through said support the shank portion of a terminal having a lug portion and a hollow shank portion filled with an explosive charge, and a length in excess of the thickness of the support, placing the conductor to be connected and solder material in contact with the lug portion, and applying heat sufficient to set off said charge near the part of the lug portion in contact with the conductor and the solder material, whereby the cumulative efiect of the applied heat and the heat developed by the explosion causes melting of said solder material for soldering the conductor to the lug portion and the pressure generated by the explosion causes an expansion of the shank portion fixedly securing the terminal within the opening of the support.

15 The method of securing an electric wiring terminal to a support base and connecting a wire conductor to the terminal, comprising the steps of inserting in an opening through said support the shank portion of a terminal having a lug portion, a hollow shank portion filled with an explosive charge and of a length in excess of the thickness of the support, then fitting upon the protruding part of the shank portion a retaining means encompassing said protruding part, inserting the end of the conductor between said shank portion and said retaining means, and thereupon applying heat to the lug portion sufiicient to set off said charge, an explosion of the charge causing an expansion of the shank portion fixedly securing the terminal within said opening of the support and anchoring the conductor between the shank portion and the retaining means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,327,763 Burrows et a1. Aug. 24, 1943 2,387,742 Burrows Oct. 30, 1945 2,465,654 Millard Mar. 29, 1949 2,533,987 Bahr Dec. 12, 1950 2,615,591 Special Oct. 28, 1952 2,643,366 Berg June 23, 1953 2,673,336 Peters Mar. 23, .1954

FOREIGN PATENTS 942,245 France Sept. 13, 1948 

